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Dorin Dickerson has heard just about every description in the book. He's explosive. He's physically gifted. He has raw athleticism. And his personal favorite: He's built like a linebacker but has the speed of a wide receiver.

Because of those physical attributes, the coaches at the University of Pittsburgh didn't know where to place him. So he played a few positions during his college career.

Dickerson caught passes at wide receiver, shed blocks and drifted into coverage as a strong-side linebacker and even created lanes for running backs at tight end.

The 6-4, 226-pounder never had a position on the field — one Dickerson could permanently call his own for more than two years. Until now.

Drafted in the seventh round in 2010, Dickerson quickly found a home on the outside catching passes during training camp last season. It landed him the fifth spot on the receiver depth chart. Nothing has changed this year.

"I love it here as a receiver," he said. "I just went wherever the coaches needed me in college, wherever they could get me on the field. Here, I'm learning every day how to get better at receiver, the little things."

Learning from the best

Andre Johnson said he has seen growth of Dickerson in his route running, catching and knowledge of the playbook.

"I'm really excited to see what he can do because he has improved a lot from year one," Johnson said. "He's been busting his butt, and it shows."

Part of Dickerson's growth stems from training with mentor and fellow Pittsburgh alum Larry Fitzgerald this offseason. Fitzgerald showed him fundamentals of the position and how good old-fashioned hard work can pay off, which Dickerson said wowed him.

"Larry (Fitzgerald) is one of the best receivers in the game, him and Andre (Johnson), and there's a reason why they are the best because they both work really hard," Dickerson said. "So you could tell when you're there, working with them, why they are the best in the game."

Coming into camp, Dickerson was eager to display the things he learned from Fitzgerald. The competition among the receivers has been heated.

"They are all pushing each other out there to get better and make the team," said No. 3 receiver Jacoby Jones. "When one of them sees another receiver making a play, they all go out and try their hardest to make a play for themselves."

While Dickerson secured a roster spot last year, he knows nothing is guaranteed, especially since there are a limited amount of spots.

Special teams demon in making?

His desire to do whatever it takes to get on the field, though - as he displayed at Pittsburgh - has landed him in a good position to make the team. His plan is to excel in a facet of the game that wide receivers coach Larry Kirksey deems critical for younger players.

"The fourth or fifth receiver who makes this team has to play special teams," Kirksey said. "If that's him because of (Kevin) Walter, Andre and Jacoby, he has to be a great, exceptional special teams player, and he knows that."

No matter what happens, the goal for Dickerson is to contribute.

"I've never been part of a winning team in my life," Dickerson said. "I've been close a bunch of times, but I just want to be a part of a winning team and help be one of the reasons why we win."